This reference for students, researchers, and interested general readers provides a wealth of information on the cultures, nations, and people that inhabited Southeast Asia from the 1st through the 15th centuries. Hundreds of cross- referenced, alphabetically arranged entries describe key places, kingdoms, dynasties, temples, capitals, deities, rulers, poets, and more. Supplemental materials include b&w maps and a chronology, bibliography, and glossary. Miksic (National U. of Singapore) is an archaeologist, historian, and art historian. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Anyone who has seen the stunning ruins at Angkor, Bagan, and Barabudur will readily understand why Southeast Asia is the host of so many United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Sites. As beautiful as the spiraling towers, intricate carvings, and delicate bas-reliefs adorning these monuments are, however, they just barely scratch the surface of the immense historical and cultural heritage of the region.
Covering the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam during the period from the first to the fifteenth century, the Historical Dictionary of Ancient Southeast Asia helps us comprehend the vast and complex history of the region through a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, an introduction, appendixes, maps, photographs, diagrams, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the major (and many minor) sites, the more significant historical figures, the kingdoms they ruled over, the economic and social relations between them, and the artistic, cultural, and religious context.
